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John Hartson in damning Rangers title verdict as Celtic legend delivers 'no way back' warning

Rangers have already fallen seven points short of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership

John Hartson on Rangers

John Hartson has handed Gio van Bronckhorst a further blow in his already precarious Rangers tenure - saying that his side have no way back in the Scottish Premiership title race after falling even further behind Celtic at the weekend.

A 2-1 loss at St Johnstone only added more fuel to the fire engulfing van Bronckhorst' during a miserable campaign so far, with James Tavernier's goal not enough to instigate a comeback against the Perth-based outfit. The result has left the Light Blues seven points behind their bitter rivals in the title race, and with dour performances on top of that, the gap could increase even more before the 2022 World Cup break takes place at the start of next week.


Pressure is mounting on the Dutchman, and his failure to win a Scottish Premiership title last season coupled with the poor outings of this campaign is looming despite the heroics in the Europa League towards the end of last campaign. And Hartson, speaking to Go Radio, has claimed that there is no way back for Van Bronckhorst's side in their domestic title bid.


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He said: “They’re seven points and 16 goals clear, so really 8 points. They have to lose three games - can you see Celtic losing three games? I know they have Rangers to play three times in the league, but the way Celtic are playing right now, they’re just scintillating."

Rangers take on Celtic shortly after the international break, and if their form continues the way it has done recently, Hartson believes the gap may become even wider. He continued: “It already seems a long way back for Rangers, even after 13 games. I think the board will leave it another five or six games and maybe after the World Cup, if it stays the same, I can see the gap getting even further."

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